For readers who are comfortable with Korean, QueerCast is great podcast. I've been getting sick of watching Korean television programs for listening practice an would much rather listen to people talk about queer issues in Korea. Hosted by Rita (리타), the podcast currently has 30 episodes with the most recent published 6 days ago. According to QueerCast's Twitter, they should be published bi-weekly on Mondays, but looking at the irregularity of their broadcasting, I find that a bit difficult to believe...

How do you feel about the policing of women’s bodies to prevent sexual assault and harassment? Does Sookmyung Women’s University need a more nuanced approach to these issues? How do men fit into the conversation?

On August 29th, the KEEP 2014 delegation and the International Strategy Center Policy and Research Coordinator Song, Dae-Han met with Kim, Yoon Young, the General Secretary for the Korean People’s Solidarity Against Poverty to learn about their anti-poverty struggles. The Korean People’s Solidarity Against Poverty is composed of 46 organizations including labor unions such as the Korean Confederation of Trade Union and organizations for evictees, community members, street vendors, single room occupancy tenants, and the homeless. They do consultations, advocacy, and solidarity work directly with the poor and with anti-poverty and homeless organizations. They are currently fighting to abolish the family obligation system and reform the basic standard of living guarantee.

It has been bothering me since about the time it has been instigated. It’s a simple thing that shouldn’t really get me agitated as it has very little effect on me, and in many respects it is a good principal to take. It’s just that I think it’s the wrong step and I don’t think it really solves any problems, only encourages more populist resolutions to complicated social and economic problems.

What am talking about? Sunday closing for the so-called discount stores in Korea.

Now lets establish some terminology first.

“Discount stores” are what major supermarket chains are called in Korea. These include E-Mart (part of Shinsaegae international), Homeplus (owned by Tesco, the second largest supermarket company in the world), and Lotte Mart, which are the biggest ones.

Since there are very few places in Korea where you can’t light up, smokers have come to love the place. Those days are soon coming to an end as strict new laws kick in at the end of this month and the era of the public smoking ban hits Korean shores.

BUSAN, South Korea -- Korea, for better or worse, has long been a smoker’s paradise. You can light up just about anywhere in the ROK with little worry of repercussion either legally or socially.

In October I entered an essay competition organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Korea. The competition sought to find out what foreigners thought was Korea’s national image. I entered, you’ll be happy to hear, but not because of some overwhelming desire to share my thoughts on what made Korea Korea, more because top prize was a new computer, and I fancied my chances.

So I dutifully brainstormed a notion and worked away on the essay, then forgot about it, then remembered about it, and of course I waited until the last minute to submit it.

The Korean government wants Korean alcohol companies to tone down the use of young celebrities in ‘sexually suggestive’ ads reportedly aimed at young Koreans on the net.

SEOUL, South Korea – Banned by government regulators from advertising hard liquor on television, Korean alcohol companies turned to the Internet to push the hard stuff. Now the government is demanding they remove what many view as highly sexualized ad campaigns using young stars to attract young drinkers.

A few close friends recently completed their year of teaching in Korea and returned home to the US. Although it was sad to see them leave, their last few months here were full of new adventures in Seoul. They made a list of things they wanted to accomplish before leaving The Land of Kimchi and I am glad they were serious in completing this to-do list. One Saturday, instead of heading into Seoul to experience the plethora of shopping and dining opportunities that we love, we ventured to a new part of the city and found our way to a traditional Korean hanok (home) where we, for less than $20, learned how to properly drink and serve tea and dressed in hanbok clothing.